


Paris via Toulouse

by Dobbys777thSock



Category: X Company (TV)
Genre: Between Episodes, Blood and Injury, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Episode 6: In Enemy Hands, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Major Character Injury, Minor Injuries, Sickfic, Slice of Life, kind of
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-31
Updated: 2020-09-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:13:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 7,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25624192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dobbys777thSock/pseuds/Dobbys777thSock
Summary: Some filler in between episodes 6 and 7 in season 1 detailing the team's recovery after the factory attack gone wrong. It picks up almost immediately where episode 6 ends, the team is on their way to Paris with Harry injured in the back seat and Neil suffering in the front. A lot of fluff, friendship, and Aurora being both a strong and caring leader because she is awesome. I know I'm about four years too late with this, but I've re-watched the entire series recently and now that I've finished it, I am once again bored and this is the product of that boredom.
Comments: 9
Kudos: 8





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first ever posted work! Please be kind...but also, please correct my grammar and punctuation, if need be. Also, I kind of forgot that it needed a title, so I'll keep working on that. Please let me know if you come up with a better one. I'm also unsure of how to post chapters, so we'll see how this goes.

  


Neil slid into the driver’s seat and glared at Tom as he hesitantly made his way back to the car.

‘C'mon, we haven’t got all day’ he grumbled quietly as Tom sat down on the passenger’s side. As soon as the car door closed, Neil sped off into the night.

‘Wha..what just ‘appened?’ slurred Harry.

Now that they had passed the checkpoint and the suspense in the car had somewhat subsided, the effects of morphine and blood loss had begun to take their toll. Harry slumped further onto Alfred’s shoulder, blinking slowly. 

‘We’re fine.’ Aurora said softly, ‘Get some rest now. Everything’s fine.’ She took his hand in one of hers and gently stroked his hair with the other. Carefully, she leaned his head further onto Alfred who slipped his arm around the injured boy.

Harry’s eyes closed and, for a moment, Aurora regretted encouraging him to sleep. Harry was still far too pale and with his eyes shut he looked just like he had a few hours ago when the shock of his injury had nearly been too much – when they had so very nearly lost him forever. Alfred met her eyes and seemed to understand her discomfort. He pulled Harry tightly to his side, bringing his other arm to Harry’s chest to feel its slow rise and fall. Aurora let out a breath she hadn’t realised she had been holding. Harry would be alright, they would take care of him, just like she had assured the nurse.

However, Harry was not the only member of her team to be worried about. Aurora could clearly see Neil’s bloody knuckles gripping the steering wheel, but said nothing. Tom glanced back at her, concern all over his face. She shook her head minutely and Tom changed his focus to Harry before once again facing forwards, all the while being careful to avoid looking at Neil. Aurora leaned back in her seat and tried to let go of some of the night’s tension. They had made it out of Toulouse. It hadn’t been a trap. Which meant that the German hadn’t lied to them, he hadn’t sent a distress signal…he hadn’t needed to die. Aurora stared up into the night’s sky as the weight of that realization sunk in.

*** 

The hours slipped by as the group approached Paris under the cover of the darkness. Alfred had nodded off long ago, but he slept fitfully, and woke at every bump and turn to check on Harry. Aurora eventually fell into a doze, still clutching Harry’s hand tightly in her sleep. Tom hung on the longest, his head occasionally bobbing forward only for him to jerk upright and sit a little straighter, staring intensely at the road in front of them.

Glancing over at Tom, Neil sighed quietly, ‘You know you don’t have to stay awake.’

Tom considered Neil for a long moment before he whispered back, ‘Fine, but wake me up in a bit and we’ll switch. Promise you’ll wake me before you fall asleep at the wheel.’ Neil gave the promise easily – he knew there was no chance of him sleeping that night. Before long, Tom’s soft snores matched the deep and even breathing from the back seat.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aha, I do believe I have figured out the chapters thing!

Dawn had broken by the time the car reached the outskirts of Paris. Despite having not slept, Neil found that the morning light made it easier to pretend that last night had just been a terrible nightmare. The sunrise washed over his dark deeds and suddenly the basement in Toulouse seemed very far away.

A large pothole jolted the car and Neil heard a sharp gasp from the backseat. Glancing in the rearview mirror, he saw Harry, still slumped against Alfred, but now wide awake and grimacing in pain. ‘Alright?’ he asked softly, half looking for a side road in case he needed to pull off.

‘Fine’ came the obviously pained reply as Harry shifted uncomfortably. Before Neil could question him any further, both Alfred and Aurora awoke to Harry’s noise and movements.

‘Morphine?’ pressed Alfred, while Aurora checked her watch and then glanced around at their surroundings.

‘Yes’ she replied, ‘We’re almost there. He should have a bit before we have to move him up to the safehouse.’

The pair began to shuffle around, pulling out the group’s first-aid supplies from the footwell and preparing Harry for another injection. Harry’s eyes soon glazed over and the backseat became still and silent once again, as Alfred and Aurora watched the scenery pass by in the early morning light. 

As they entered Paris, Neil reached over to shake Tom awake.

‘Time to switch?’ he yawned drowsily.

‘Time to get out.’ Neil replied as Tom began to realize where they were.

‘You said you’d wake me.’ Tom accused.

‘Wasn’t tired.’ Neil replied shortly, ‘So, how are we going to do this?’ he inquired with a glance at the backseat.

Aurora was already straightening her hair and clothes while she replied, ‘The keys to the safehouse are stuck to the bottom of a bench across from a statue in Luxemburg Gardens.’

She glanced around the car, quickly making decisions before she continued,

‘I know the statue, so Tom and I will get out first, collect the keys and walk to the apartment. It’ll probably take us twenty minutes to get the key and make sure the apartment is clear. It’s on Rue Madame, number 153, next to a small grammar school. Once we’re in, we’ll light a lamp in the window, on the second floor, so that the three of you know to come up. There will be parents and children arriving soon, so it should be easy to hide in the crowd. We can move the car later, for now, just park close by so that Harry doesn’t have far to walk.’

Tom rubbed at his eyes, trying to wake up more fully, while the rest nodded at the plan. Aurora leaned forward to help Neil navigate the familiar Paris streets to the nearby park.

Before long, they had arrived, Aurora grasped Tom’s arm as the car glided off down the still mostly empty streets. While it was still quite early, Paris seemed far quieter than she remembered. The pair set off down a shaded path, just an ordinary couple on a morning stroll through the gardens. 

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be significantly longer. I was just kind of rambling as I wrote, so I didn't divide this story up very well.


	3. Chapter 3

Neil, Alfred and Harry drove aimlessly for a while, Alfred having taken over navigation duties. They circled a hospital at one point and Alfred gazed longingly at its doors, wishing that they could simply take Harry there to get proper rest and treatment. It was too risky, however. A deep puncture wound in the neck plus his other minor injuries would be hard to explain away. Harry had clearly been in some sort of combat situation and that would raise questions. They couldn’t afford to be noticeable, particularly when Harry’s condition seemed stable.

‘Alfred? Straight here or turn?’ Neil dragged Alfred from his thoughts.

‘Turn right at the next street,’ he replied, glancing down at Harry who seemed to have dozed off again with the help of the morphine. 

Fifteen minutes later, they pulled up outside the safehouse. There was already a lamp lit in the second-floor window.

Neil twisted around from the front seat, ‘Harry? We’re here, mate. You’ve got to make it 50 yards and we’ll get you in a real bed.’

Alfred was rubbing Harry’s arm to help him wake up as the young man nodded uncoordinatedly.

‘I can make it,’ he said shakily.

Neil checked their surroundings; Aurora had been right. The street was full of mothers and children, but the atmosphere was still abnormally quiet and subdued. Quiet kisses goodbye while children were rushed into the small schoolyard. Women hurried away alone or in small groups with their heads down. Neil swung open his door and quickly grabbed the barely functioning radio from the trunk. Alfred and Harry were out and slowly walking, Alfred heavily supporting Harry on one side. Neil swung around to grab Harry’s other elbow as the trio crossed the street. 

Once in the apartment’s lobby, they paused, faced with a new challenge. The three gazed up at the grand, twirling staircase remembering that they had to make it up to the second floor. Harry had done well so far, but as Neil glanced over at his pale, drawn face, he quickly decided that Harry had done enough.

‘Here.’ Neil said, shoving the radio into Alfred’s free hand before reaching down to scoop Harry up at the knees. Neil carefully arranged a somewhat dazed and drugged Harry in his arms and they were soon up the stairs and giving the secret knock while a surprised Alfred raced up behind them.

Tom opened the door, ‘Is he alright?’ he gasped upon seeing Harry in Neil’s arms.

‘Yeah, I just didn’t want him fainting on the staircase,’ replied Neil gently setting Harry on his feet once again.

‘I wasn’t gonna faint,’ muttered Harry.

‘Of course not,’ Neil almost smiled while Tom led him and Harry through the apartment hallway.

Aurora was waiting for them in one of the bedrooms, she had already turned down the sheets and quickly helped Harry to lie down once he entered the room.

‘How are you feeling?’ she asked, wide eyed and concerned.

‘Fine,’ Harry replied, ‘Kind of dizzy,’ he added after Aurora raised her eyebrows at his first answer. She slid down the bed to take off Harry’s shoes while the rest of her team hovered in the background.

‘Sleep for a bit longer,’ she told Harry. ‘We’ll change your bandages when you wake up.’ She tucked him in and perched on the edge of the bed, brushing his hair back off his forehead. Once his breathing became deep and even, she turned to face the three men behind her. Exhausted from the long night’s ride, and in Neil’s case, bloodied, they were a bit of a rough looking group. She hoped that they would all get a few days to rest while Harry recovered from the worst of his injury.

‘Neil, could you bring me a bowl of water and a clean cloth, please?’ she asked. Neil was quick to heed her request, striding briskly out of the room.

‘Tom, could you get some of those bandages we found in the cupboard earlier? And then we’ll need to set up the radio to send out a message to Camp about last night.’ She delegated.

The remaining two men nodded and swept out of the room, while Aurora turned around and brushed Harry’s bangs back one more time.

She leapt up when Neil returned, taking the bowl of water with a thank you before ushering him over to the far side of the bed. She sat down and motioned for him to do the same as a frown began to cross his face. She perched the bowl of water on her knees and took the cloth from Neil.

‘Your hand,’ she said simply, motioning towards the water.

Realization dawned on Neil’s face and he began to protest, ‘It’s nothing, I’ll take care of it,’

‘Your hand’ Aurora repeated.

Neil paused, before he finally stuck out his bruised and bloody hand and allowed Aurora to gently begin wiping it clean.

The door opened behind them and Tom burst in with his hands full of bandages. He took one look at the scene before him, quickly reached over Harry’s sleeping form to lay the bandages in the middle of the bed, and backed out of the room without a word. 

‘You’d think I’d punched him,’ Neil remarked dryly.

‘He’s worried, but he doesn’t know how to help,’ Aurora explained calmly, dunking Neil’s hand in the bowl of water. ‘I’m not sure I know how to help,’ she added quietly, keeping her head down, thinking of the incredible burden of guilt which her orders had caused.

‘Sure, you do’ he quipped, motioning his head towards his injured hand, ‘It looks better already.’

Aurora gave Neil a long look and he firmly stared back. She sighed and Neil softly said, ‘It’s not me who needs help anyways. Harry’s still in rough shape. We need to focus on getting him better so that we can get back to work.’

‘We’re lucky that you weren’t badly hurt as well,’ she said, not quite ready to let the issue drop. ‘I don’t think your hand is broken, but it could have been.’ She began to pat down Neil’s hand with the dry end of the cloth.

‘It’s not broken,’ he replied curtly, understanding her gentle rebuke. 

‘Good, then you can take over our teams’ transmissions while Harry rests,’ she joked.

‘Honestly, I don’t think I could be worse with that damn taper if my hand were broken,’ he snorted. 

In a more comfortable silence than previously, Aurora finished with the bandages and stood up with the now bloody water and soiled cloth.

‘Neil, I’m sorry,’ she began, ‘I’m sorry…’

Neil held up his newly bandaged hand, cutting her off. ‘He was the enemy.’ He replied with little conviction.

Aurora nodded slightly, ‘Stay here with Harry?’

‘Sure,’ Neil agreed, ‘Thanks for this,’ he motioned to his hand once more, ‘It won’t happen again.’

Aurora gave a tight-lipped smile, ‘Try to get some rest, Neil,’ she whispered as she slipped out the door. 

Neil untied his boots and leaned back on the double bed beside Harry, who hadn’t stirred the entire time. Neil watched his slow breathing and reassured himself that Harry was simply exhausted and heavily medicated. His deep sleep was to be expected and was, frankly, well deserved. Not many people went on an eight-hour road trip right after being stabbed in the neck.

As Neil lay down and focused on the sound of Harry’s breath, his own exhaustion got the better of him and he finally drifted to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not entirely sure of this chapter, but I'm going to post it all the same and possibly edit it later. Writing Alfred's senses is very fun and very challenging and I really doubt that I've done it justice.

Aurora poured the bowl of dirty water down the bathroom sink before joining Alfred and Tom in the living room. They had the radio ready and, as she entered the room, Tom showed her the brief message he had written to explain the events of the past twelve hours. Aurora gave her approval and Alfred easily encoded the message while Aurora disappeared into another bedroom.

She soon returned with her hair neatly pinned back, wearing a new dress which was slightly too large for her, ‘I’m going to the market, I won’t be long. You should both get some rest once we’ve heard back from Camp.’

‘I’ll come with you,’ Tom stood up, while Alfred began to prepare the battered radio for transmission. It was a piecemeal creation with parts of both the German operator’s radio and Harry’s held together by thin, bare, wires. 

‘No, I’ll be fine,’ Aurora replied, ‘A woman alone doing her morning shopping? Nothing could be less conspicuous.’

She disappeared for a moment, grabbing a basket from the kitchen, then stuck her head back into the room her their usual parting words, 'stay safe,' before heading out into the Paris streets.

‘I can handle this,’ Alfred told Tom quietly, once she had left, ‘You can go lay down, if you’d like.’

Tom shrugged and sank down onto a yellow printed sofa. He stared tiredly into space as Alfred tapped out their message. He wondered vaguely if he should go sit with Harry, but Neil hadn’t emerged from the bedroom yet and Tom wasn’t about to go check on them both.

Tom must have nodded off anyways as he woke with a start when Alfred spoke next. Alfred gave Tom a sympathetic look and repeated himself,

‘They sent back that they’re going to contact another cell who’re familiar with the blackmarket here. They’re going to try and get us more medical supplies for Harry. Until then, we’re to lay low and wait for our next orders at the regular check-in.’

‘Good,’ Tom said, drowsily, shaking his head clear, ‘Yeah, good, we’ll need more bandages soon.’

Alfred nodded, ‘Until then, we have nothing to do except rest,’ he said pointedly.

Tom raised his hands in surrender before standing up, ‘Wake me if Aurora isn’t back within the hour. Or if Harry needs anything. Or if you’re going to sleep. Are you sure you don’t want to sleep? I can stay up.’ He looked at Alfred but the man shook his head. With a slight shrug, Tom made his way to the empty second bedroom.

Alfred began to delicately take the radio antenna down from the open window and rewound the wire for storage. He pursed his lips, this radio really was on its last legs, they’d have to make a request for a new one soon. Closing the case, Alfred searched the room for a good hiding spot and settled for the back of the wardrobe next to a similar looking briefcase. 

Alfred was glad for the privacy as he then sank down into a chair, elbows on his knees, head in his hands. The horrors of the night before raced through his mind. Harry had set the explosives; it was time for them melt away into the night. Suddenly, more Germans appeared from nowhere, blocking Harry’s exit, but the timer was already set. Aurora had heaved a grenade past him to try and clear his escape route. The double explosions had caused coloured sparks that had nearly blinded Alfred before a strangled cry filled the air with its acrid smoky taste.

Sitting in this far away living room, Alfred once again saw the flash of sour silver entering Harry’s neck. Neil raced through his field of vision and Alfred felt Tom’s familiar milk taste touch on his upper arm. More cries, more smoke, more images branded onto Alfred’s mind forever. Tom was trying to shake him out of his blended senses, trying to rouse him from observer to actor in this appalling scene. Neil roared instructions which Alfred could now recite word for word, while Aurora’s silky citronella heels cut through the echoing chaos. Soon Harry was thrust into his and Tom’s arms, his sugary bright red blood quickly coating Alfred’s hands. There was so much blood, far too much blood. 

Alfred dug the heels of his hands into his eye sockets shivering from the memory. A cold licorice siren sounded from the streets below. The new sensations bringing Alfred back into the present. He looked down at his now clean hands, still breathing hard. Stumbling to his feet, Alfred went to the kitchen for a glass of water. Paris water smelt and tasted slightly different to that of Toulouse, it was a bit scaly to be honest, but Alfred welcomed the change all the same.

Leaning back against the counter, Alfred relived Harry’s smile as the boy lay in bed, conscious and talking of codes and radios. He felt once more the fresh, spring sun in the rise and fall of Harry’s chest throughout their long night’s drive. Alfred relaxed into this reverie until a familiar knock led him to the front door. 


	5. Chapter 5

‘How was it out there?’ Alfred asked, when Aurora returned to the kitchen after looking in on Neil and Harry.

‘There were lines up and down the street for bread,’ Aurora sighed as she lined up her meager purchases on the counter, ‘A few boulangeries already had up signs that they were sold out. It isn’t even noon yet, but they’re already out of bread for the day. Even where I went there wasn’t much for sale, definitely not any flour.’ 

Without official ration stamps, the team would most often find food through the black market. A supply of counterfeit stamps required drop off points or couriers and, most often, it just wasn’t worth the trouble to arrange getting them.

‘Paris without bread…’ Aurora trailed off, shaking her head in disbelief, ‘I did get a few eggs though. I poked around for bandages and antibiotics, but I couldn’t find any. We’ll have to try somewhere else tomorrow.’

‘Camp radioed back that they could help with that,’ Alfred piped up, ‘They’re going to contact another team who might know where to get supplies.’ 

‘Good,’ Aurora replied, now riffling through cupboards and drawers for pots and utensils.

Alfred silently watched her rinse off a turnip before stepping in to take over at the sink. Aurora slid over to begin chopping up the now clean vegetables. Before long, they had a pot of stew simmering away on the stove. 

***

‘Harry,’ whispered Aurora, squeezing his hand. She was impressed that Neil had stayed asleep while she and Alfred had laid out bandages and fresh water around the bed. Now the challenge was to wake one sleeper without rousing the other.

Aurora moistened a cloth and ran it gently across Harry’s forehead. This proved to be more effective than she had first hoped as Harry gasped and made to sit up suddenly.

‘Shh, shh, easy,’ she soothed, pressing him back down onto his pillow, but Neil’s eyes had already snapped open.

‘Where am I?’ Harry rasped, eyes flicking around the unfamiliar room.

‘Paris,’ Neil answered bluntly, shifting to sit up and stretch slightly.

Harry, looking from one team member to the next, still seemed to be getting his bearings, ‘Where’s Tom?’ he asked.

‘Asleep in the other room,’ Alfred answered from the foot of the bed. 

‘We all made it to the safehouse in Paris early this morning,’ Aurora filled in, ‘You’ve been pretty out of it. Are you feeling alright?’

‘Yeah…just feel weird,’ Harry backtracked a little seeing his friends' concerned faces, ‘But not, bad weird…’

Neil rolled his eyes. Smiling indulgently Aurora said, ‘How about you try sitting up and we’ll change your bandages and get you something to eat?’

Harry nodded and Aurora and Neil reached forward to help him from both sides.

‘You’re hurt, too?’ Harry asked seeing Neil’s bandaged hand grip his arm, ‘What happened?’

‘Nothing,’ was Neil’s hurried answer and he busied himself shoving an extra pillow behind Harry’s back. 

Harry managed to unbutton the top of his shirt on his own, enabling Aurora to unravel his bandages. Neil and Aurora inspected his wounds without truly knowing what to think. The sutures holding Harry’s worst injuries closed were all still intact and he wasn’t bleeding from anywhere. Wishing she knew what an infected wound would look like, Aurora replaced the dressings. Alfred played nursemaid beside her, passing the necessary materials while she copied the nurse’s original patch job as closely as possible. 

Harry had remained quiet and drowsy throughout the process and again, Aurora was unsure if this was a good sign or not. She exchanged an uncertain glance with Neil as she finished up.

‘Check if he’s spiked a fever.’ Neil suggested.

‘No, I’m alright,’ Harry argued weakly as Aurora pressed the back of her hand to his forehead and then his cheek.

‘I…I’m not sure,’ Aurora hesitated, ‘You do feel kind of warm,’

‘It’s just from being in bed,’ Harry replied quickly as Neil reached over to check for himself before shrugging at Aurora.

They’d been dead lucky there had been a nurse on hand when this had first happened, Neil thought to himself, they were certainly no medics. 

‘Here,’ Aurora held out a glass of water to Harry, ‘Try this and then we’ll get you some stew.’

Harry sipped from the cup while Aurora held out another to Neil who took it warily, suddenly self-conscious that he too was still technically in the invalid bed. Neil took a quick swig and then got up announcing that he’d go get the stew. Alfred squeezed Harry’s ankle before leaving the end of the bed to go help Neil. 

The soft clatter of moving chairs and trips from the kitchen to the bedroom were enough to wake Tom. ‘Am I invited to the party?’ he joked, as he stumbled into the main bedroom stretching. 

Soon everyone was gathered around the bedside with a bowl of stew. It was a mostly quiet meal, everyone except Harry had a good appetite. Last night’s supper had been early and tense, tainted with nerves over the impending factory raid. Tom and Neil gathered empty bowls to go for seconds, while Harry placed his half-finished portion on the bedside table, his energy clearly flagging.

Aurora couldn’t help but feel his forehead once more before stroking his hair back, ‘Not hungry?’ she asked, ‘Let’s get you laying down again,’ 

‘It’s just because of the morphine,’ Harry explained still allowing Aurora to help rearrange the pillows behind him, ‘It makes me feel weird.’

‘But you’re not in pain, right?’ Aurora checked as Harry laid back slowly. He shook his head and then closed his eyes; Alfred’s comforting hand was on his ankle once again. Aurora laid a damp cloth across his forehead as the rest of the team returned with more food. A more somber silence filled the room as their youngest drifted off once again.

‘Maybe we could try and get a thermometer along with the bandages,’ Alfred suggested quietly, ‘Then we could know for sure what we’re dealing with.’ 

‘That’s a good idea, but I’m not sure he’ll like French thermometers,’ Aurora replied with a slight smile, ‘They don’t go in your mouth.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to be out of the city and away from the internet for a few days. I think I'm planning on stretching this for a few chapters yet though, so I'll still be writing, it'll just be a bit until I can post again.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm back within Internet range with two more chapters, although, in spite of how long I've taken to write and edit this chapter, I'm really not sure if it is very good or entertaining. But, seeing as I've already had a long time to fix it and it hasn't gotten any better, this is what I'm going with.
> 
> Also, I went back to check something in episode 6 and I realized that they weren't in Toulouse in that episode...and I've gone and put it in the title of this fic. Opps. I'm debating renaming and fixing it...or just leaving it be.

Tom and Neil had taken on cleaning duty as they hadn’t prepared the meal. Generally, whoever was available took on the task, but, when possible, they tried to share household responsibilities evenly. With a female sergeant at the helm, there was no expectation that she would do all the cooking and cleaning. 

Alfred and Aurora lingered in the bedroom, watching Harry sleep. Aurora refreshed the cool cloth on his forehead.

‘Did…did the nurse say anything to you about infection?’ Alfred asked slowly.

Aurora shrugged shaking her head, ‘She said that she had cleaned the wounds and to change the dressings twice a day. That was it. We were in such a rush to leave, there wasn’t really time to ask for more instructions.’

‘She did say she hoped we would get him to a hospital,’ Alfred replied quietly.

‘But that isn’t an option,’ Aurora argued and Alfred was quick to nod in agreement.

‘No, I know,’ he said, still, Aurora looked unusually uncertain.

‘Do you really think he needs a hospital?’ she asked, barely audible, turning to Alfred.

Alfred looked at Aurora’s wide green eyes and saw the dark circles beneath them. He wondered how much she had truly slept at all in the car last night and how long she had simply sat, still and silent.

‘I don’t know,’ he answered honestly, ‘I mean, I guess, he seems alright for now…we’ll just watch his temperature and change his bandages and if things get worse…’ 

‘Then we’ll reconsider our options,’ Aurora finished for him, ‘In our next transmission, we can ask if any medical assistance is possible through the Resistance. In the meantime, we should take turns sitting with him, just to keep an eye on him.’

Aurora had regained her composure, ‘Can you stay with him for a bit? There were some clothes in the other room. I think I can take in a few of the dresses for myself, I’ll bring them back here, then you can go with the boys to look for anything could fit.’ She made to stand up.

‘Or, Alfred interjected, ‘You could take a break first.’

Aurora looked at him incredulously.

‘Everyone else has had a break,’ Alfred continued hurriedly, ‘You’ve been busy since this morning. Why don’t you rest, I’ll watch Harry, and Neil and Tom can look through the clothes?’

‘I’ll be right back,’ was all Aurora said as she left the room.

***

An hour later, Aurora was fast asleep, laying beside Harry under a thick spare blanket. She had soldiered through having to redo one dress seam three times, but when Alfred stuck his head around the door just in time to catch her badly pricking her finger, Aurora had admitted that she needed a short break from her sewing.

In the meantime, Alfred took over Harry’s bedside vigil. After looking through the clothing, Neil and Tom began to go through the various drawers and cupboards of the maze-like apartment. They were running short on cash and were hoping to find a few small items to sell at the market tomorrow to help pay for food and supplies.

Taking the cloth from Harry’s forehead, Alfred re-wet it and was wringing it out when Harry’s eyes slid open.

‘Harry’ he whispered, abandoning the cloth, ‘How are you feeling?’

Harry smiled and replied, ‘Like I’m going to be really sick of everyone asking that soon.’

Aurora stirred in her sleep and the two men fell silent for a while. Alfred put the back of his hand to Harry’s forehead and came to the same conclusion as Aurora: a bit warm.

Slowly, they shuffled Harry up to a seated position and Alfred passed him a glass of water.

‘So what happened to Neil's hand?’ whispered Harry, ‘Last night is all kind of a blur for me.’ 

Alfred dodged the question, ‘I bet you remember the nurse,’ he teased with a slight smirk.

Harry avoided Alfred’s eyes, smiling to himself, ‘Well, _yeah_ ,’ he replied, ‘I remember her taking the knife out,’ Alfred’s smile faltered, ‘I remember hiding in a bathtub with her.’ Harry continued with a snort.

‘But what exactly happened downstairs?’ Harry pressed on, ‘I know the Germans came…we had one of them in the basement, right? How did that happen?’

Alfred chose his words carefully, ‘There were more guards at the factory than we had expected. You were planting the explosives when they rushed in. Aurora threw a grenade and then the bomb went off and it was chaos. Neil…got one of them…another got away, but the one that fought you went running further into the factory instead of escaping. Tom and I got you outside first and when the others came out, they had the German with them. He had gone for a radio to send a distress message and so they brought him and the radio. That’s how he ended up in the basement and why we were sending messages to his superiors.’ 

‘Smart,’ Harry nodded, ‘But how didn’t they find him when they searched the house? How didn’t they find all of you?’

‘They never made it down to the basement,’ Alfred answered, ‘Tom put on the German’s uniform and went up to talk to the patrol officers.’

Harry lay back on his pillows, eyes going wide, ‘Geez, and that worked? He really can talk his way out of anything.’

Alfred smiled at Harry’s amazement before looking at his watch, ‘It’s almost time for you to have more morphine. Are you in a lot of pain?’

Harry struggled to answer honestly, ‘No. I mean…nothing like last night. I can feel it, but it isn’t that bad. You probably don’t have to give me very much.’

‘Harry you were hurt less than twenty-four hours ago,’ came a soft voice from the other side of the bed, ‘You still need morphine.’

Aurora was curled in her blanket, but clearly very much awake.

‘Do you feel sick?’ she asked searching Harry’s face, ‘You said you felt weird earlier.’

‘I’m alright…’ Harry began before Aurora cut him off.

‘Honestly, Harry,’ she continued urgently, ‘How are you feeling?’ 

Seeing the genuine concern in Aurora’s expression, Harry carefully reconsidered his answer, ‘I don’t feel great, but that’s not shocking. I think I feel better than I did earlier, less dizzy at least. The morphine is wearing off, so things aren’t as…fuzzy.’

‘You don’t feel feverish?’ she asked.

Harry scrunched up his face, thinking, ‘I feel more like I’ve been really sick, but I’m getting better now,’ he replied. 

Unsure if this was a comforting answer, Alfred once again draped the damp cloth across Harry’s forehead, ‘Tell us right away if you feel worse,’ he said earnestly.

‘Are you hungry?’ Aurora pressed on, ‘You didn’t eat very much earlier.’

Feeling slightly overwhelmed by the concern in the room, Harry readily agreed, ‘Yeah, some food would be great.’

As he had hoped, this seemed to appease Aurora who was already getting up from the bed and folding up her blanket. At her prompting, Harry requested a scrambled egg, please, instead of a boiled one, and Aurora swept from the bedroom.

‘I really am doing alright,’ Harry attempted one last time, looking at Alfred who gave a weak smile in return. It was reassuring to see Harry being his usual self, but would be a while before Alfred would really dare believe that the boy was out of the woods.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I had fun writing this one, I hope it's as fun to read!

This might be a terrible idea, Harry thought to himself. He was alone in the room and had swung his legs around to be sitting on the edge of the bed. He really needed the toilet.

It was almost time for their regular transmission, so Alfred had gone to help encode and relay the message, promising to send someone in to sit with Harry in the meantime. Harry had protested that he didn’t need to be babysat, and he was now regretting it.

Sitting up unsupported pulled on his injuries slightly. Gritting his teeth, Harry hunched forward over the edge of the bed. He had asked to delay his morphine injection slightly, afraid that renewed dizziness from the drug and his recent meal might make for a bad combination.

Was he honestly going to attempt to stand? The burning pain in his neck told him he would be a fool to try, but his bladder urged him to take the risk. In the end, the fear of pain paled in comparison to the prospect of supreme embarrassment and Harry weakly pushed himself off the bed.

His head spun and his injuries throbbed sharply drawing a small grunt of pain from between his lips. The bedroom was a blur of static which left Harry furiously blinking to try to clear his vision. Achingly slowly, he began to shuffle his way to the door which had been left ajar.

Reaching his first goal, Harry clutched at the doorframe. The hallway posed a second problem. Where was the bathroom anyways? His memory of entering the building that morning felt strangely distorted. Surely Neil hadn’t carried him up the stairs…that would have been ridiculous, right? Harry was fairly certain that he had walked through these hallways at least. The colourful wallpaper seemed familiar - the layout, however, was not. 

Turning to look down the hallway on his left, Harry snagged his foot on the edge of a rug. He barely stumbled, but the slight jar on his injuries nearly brought him to his knees. He staggered to the wall on his less injured side and leaned heavily against it, his breath coming in short ragged pants. The pain slowly receded to a dull throb and Harry eventually began to inch his way along the wall. He rounded a corner and came to a tall chest of drawers. He was going to have to abandon the wall’s solid support to get around it. The idea seemed impossible. Harry leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes. Here he was, an allied spy, a weapon of his country, a threat to the Nazi regime…utterly defeated by furniture on a mission to the bathroom. 

‘The hell do you think you’re doing?’ a startled voice pulled Harry back to reality.

An angry looking Neil filled Harry’s vision. Nevertheless, he was nothing short of gentle when he pried Harry from the wall.

‘Bathroom’ Harry rasped out and Neil began to help him along the hallway as quickly as Harry’s trembling legs would allow.

It really was a laughably short walk to the bathroom, for which Harry was very grateful. He pulled away from Neil at the door and the latter turned his back but waited in the open doorway. Harry was in no position to protest and quickly got to business.

Neil was back at his elbow soon after the sound of the flush, ‘I thought you were gonna be sick,’ he accused, ‘Was that really so urgent you couldn’t wait for someone to walk you here?’

‘Yes,’ said Harry emphatically.

***

Back in the bedroom again, Harry immediately laid down and closed his eyes, trying to catch his breath.

Neil was rummaging around the room and Harry looked up just in time to see him set a wastepaper basket by Harry’s side of the bed.

‘You _are_ looking a little green,’ Neil replied to Harry’s raised eyebrow, ‘Better safe than sorry. I don’t think you’re up for another trip to the bathroom right now.’

Harry couldn’t argue with that as he clenched his jaw to avoid groaning in pain. He soon felt pressure around his upper arm. Neil was going to give him his dose of morphine. A slight pinch and a minute later the pain seemed to ebb away into a floaty nothingness.

Harry watched Neil put away the small bottle and syringe and settle in at his bedside. The glow of the lamp on the nightstand seemed strangely wobbly. Harry swallowed reflexively, hoping he wouldn’t need the bin Neil had put out for him.

‘What time is it?’ he asked trying to distract himself from how disoriented he felt.

‘Nearly four,’ Neil replied.

A disturbing thought drifted across Harry’s mind, ‘Hey, you didn’t actually carry me up here this morning, did you? That would have been so embarrassing.’

The corners of Neil’s mouth turned up slightly.

‘Oh my god, you did? I couldn’t have just walked?!’ Harry had a flicker of horror before his hazy mind jumped to another thought, ‘What did happen to your hand? Alfred wouldn’t tell me. Was it from the fight at the factory?’ he rambled on. 

‘That’s enough out of you,’ Neil ended the conversation firmly, ‘Go to sleep.’

Exhausted from his adventure and free from pain for the moment, Harry found that order easy to follow. With a sigh, Neil pulled the bedclothes back over the boy, and pinched Harry’s obviously forgotten glasses from his nose. 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only an eternity later, here is another chapter! I'm still writing this story, but things have been very busy lately, and are likely to only become more hectic, so please bear with me.

Neil flipped the latch on the living room window as he finished up his final rounds of the house. Despite the fact that a team member would always be awake throughout the night, Neil knew that he wouldn’t feel settled until he had done a quick check in every room. He peered into the kitchen where Alfred was putting away the last of the supper dishes before they joined the rest of the team in the main bedroom.

Harry was still sound asleep on the bed where Neil had left him. They had collectively decided to leave him be rather than trying to wake him for their sparse evening meal. He would need another dose of morphine in the night and could have some food and water then.

Aurora spoke up as they all gathered in the room, ‘Tom will take first watch,’ she whispered, ‘Alfred will switch with him in two hours, then it’s me and then Neil.’

The men all nodded in agreement. Neil lingered with the rest of them for a while as they watched Harry, thinking back to this time the previous night when their young radio operator had been laying not in a bed, but upon a bloodied table. Soon, however, it was impossible for Neil to ignore the throb of his overworked eyes. His two-hour nap hadn’t quite made up for the previous sleepless night, and with a quick nod to acknowledge his teammates, he made for the other bedroom.

Neil was already laying down when Alfred crept into the room and began to prepare for the night. The beds in this room were small and narrow, but the mattress felt heavenly soft beneath Neil’s aching limbs. He could feel himself slipping away even before Alfred had switched off the light. 

_It was a grey, blustery day typical for the coast of England. Neil was on a pier looking out to sea. There were several sailboats rollicking in the high waves, but none of them were the particular one which Neil was expecting to arrive any minute now. Seagulls called from overhead and Neil wished that he could ask them where the right boat was. He was certain that the gulls knew and that they were mocking him for his ignorance. Frustrated, Neil followed a rough trail back through the brush and sand dunes._

_Neil soon reached a town full of bustling people. It looked vaguely familiar, the stone archways reminding him of Haiyan in China. As he stood in the street trying to get his bearings, a woman bumped into him. She excused herself briefly in Cantonese and Neil instantly recognized her voice. He tried to reach out and touch her shoulder, but she trotted away from him impossibly quickly. Neil sprinted after her at full speed yet she still managed to evade him, whisking her long skirts down increasingly narrow alleyways._

_Finally, the woman entered a small house. Neil paused for a moment on the threshold and wiped his brow before stepping inside. He entered and found the house to be pitch black. Cautiously feeling his way through the darkness, Neil sensed more than saw the presence ahead of him. As he slowly approached, the details of the room came into focus. He was in a cold, cement basement with exposed pipes and a musty smell. A shiver went down Neil’s spine and he wanted nothing more than to turn and run from this room as quickly as he had run towards it. However, there was no escaping, Neil drew ever closer to the figure whose ghostly pale face suddenly came into focus. Neil felt his fist close around a knife while he looked with horror at the defenceless young man before him. The man he was about to murder in cold blood. ‘It’s cruel to make me wait,’ said the German officer…_

Neil’s eyes snapped open and, alarmed at still finding himself surrounded by darkness, he bolted upright. His heart pounded in his chest while his muscles itched with adrenaline. Looking frantically around the room in a search for the young German, Neil’s head spun with vertigo making him feel vaguely ill. As he felt the sheets beneath his hands and over his legs, Neil gradually remembered where he was. Eyes adjusting to the very dim light seeping in from around the curtains, Neil could just barely make out the furniture of the cluttered little bedroom and see Alfred in the bed beside his.

Neil slowly reclined against the headboard and winced at the icy touch of the sweat-soaked shirt on his back. Reluctant to close his eyes again, Neil stared at the ceiling and tried to slow his breathing back to normal. He glanced over at Alfred once more – still sound asleep, thank goodness - Neil breathed a sigh of relief. The other man must be exhausted; Alfred would normally startle awake at a slight breeze. 

As the panic began to ebb away, anger and confusion lapped in to take its place. What the hell had that been about? Waking up in a panic over killing a Gerry? Neil flung back his blankets, and leapt out of bed only to have reach out to steady himself. One hand still on the wall, Neil pinched the bridge of his nose with the other. He was just god damned overtired, that was it. With a quick check to ensure that Alfred was really sleeping, and had not seen this embarrassing display, Neil silently stalked from the room. 

He made it to the bathroom undetected and clumsily used his non-bandaged hand to splash water on his face. More alert than he had felt since waking up, Neil glared at his reflection in the mirror. He looked like utter crap. His face pale and drawn, Neil wondered who looked peakier right now, Harry or him? 

After roughly scrubbing his face dry, Neil made to escape back to the privacy of the bedroom, but as he rounded the corner in the hallway an unsuspecting Tom nearly walked straight into him.

‘Whoa,’ Tom startled, his hand hesitating towards his waistband before he recognized his teammate.

Neil tried to resist the urge to roll his eyes, and wasn’t sure if he succeeded. He could have incapacitated Tom twice in the time it took the later to decide to draw a weapon. Why did they even bother having Tom take watch?

‘Look alive Tom,’ Neil quipped.

‘I wasn’t expecting anyone to be there,’ Tom replied, still looking slightly shaken.

‘Of course you weren’t, because intruders will always knock politely before coming in,’ Neil cracked back. 

‘Hey, are you okay?’ Tom asked, frowning at Neil’s pallid appearance, ‘You look _terrible_.’

‘Yeah, you definitely have a way with words,’ Neil snorted, ignoring the question.

‘Why are you up anyways?’ Tom pressed on.

‘Can’t a man take a bloody piss?’ Neil replied brushing past Tom to return to bed before he had to answer any more questions.

Once more in the bedroom, Neil wasn’t ready to try and sleep yet. He striped off his damp shirt and sat in the darkness where he found himself returning to Tom’s question. _Why was he up_? Why was _that_ dream enough to put him in such a state? What was the matter with him?

**Author's Note:**

> I don't think I'm quite finished with this story yet. Anyways, please, please comment. I've never shared my writing publicly before, so I am super curious to hear what anyone thinks of it. Also, if you have suggestions for what you would like to see in this work or anything else you would like to read with X-Company feel free to leave them below. You could also suggest prompts for other fandoms, but I can't guarantee I'll be familiar with many of them.


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